Having a Bad Day is an Understatement
by Jaky
Summary: Why is Jak so angry and hateful Keira wonders. Well, she's about to find out when she confronts him in the forest to apologize for what happened before the Class 2 race. Set after Class 2 race and before the Class 1 race. One-shot. No pairing. Rated for s


Uh, sorry this came so late. But then again, there were probably only 0.5 people expecting this to come out, so no worries. For anyone who's hoping, no, this is not a lemon. I wouldn't even call it a pairing, as there's nothing remotely romantic going on here. There are, however, sexual references and foul language; I gave it the 'R' rating for a reason. Also, because of the fact that I had put this down to do other things, you'll likely notice differences in writing here and there. Heh, I started writing this story months ago, and I only recently finished it.

Note: This story is pretty dark. If you're offended by such things as rape, then you better leave now. Though no one gets raped in this story, there is reference to it. Don't flame because you get offended by the content. You've been warned.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, and on to the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak 2, and I never will. I'm not making a single penny off this publication; I'm just doing it for kicks.

**"Having a Bad Day" is an Understatement**

Sometimes, he just couldn't understand her. It was just two years ago that their relationship had started to take off. The kiss they almost shared after the battle with Gol and Maia . . . of course, Daxter was the one that made sure it didn't happen. Jak's heart was still racing even after he laid himself to sleep. And the glances and "accidental" brushes with each other as he and Daxter – mostly he – brought the rift ring back to the village. That was over two years ago. Now, it seemed as if he disgusted her.

Jak was sure that Keira would be happy to see him after so long. She was glad to see Daxter, but she was almost afraid of Jak. Sure, his appearance and demeanor were different, and she more than likely heard stories and rumors about his personal war against the KG and Baron Praxis. Still, she should have been happy that he was alive, even more so now that he was speaking.

Even after the Class 3 race, he noticed her apprehension. Ashelin's appearance in the garage escalated that feeling into something worse. Oh, and that remark Daxter made about wanting to pin medals to her chest. That really pissed her off. So she got back at him.

Keira praised Erol knowing full well that he was out for Jak's blood. It sparked their first fight. One that ended with Jak walking out, and Keira giving him the cold shoulder when he returned later that day.

Jak knew that he cared deeply for Keira. He dare say he even loved her. Other than planning the various ways he could kill Praxis during his incarceration, Keira was always on his mind. There were times when he doubted that he'd ever see her again. He missed her.

Until his second month in prison, he held nothing but pure thoughts of Keira. But, after hearing what the other inmates had to say about their sex lives, Jak's fantasies of Keira became less about holding hands and walking on the beach, and more about touching her unclothed body in places that made him blush fiercely. And these thoughts continued even through his growing shame.

It wasn't very long after that he started touching himself. He'd woken up one night to a painful throbbing between his legs and was startled to see his penis tenting in his prison garb. Before panic could set in, he remembered what his neighbor said about the act of sex and "self-satisfaction" during life in prison. Curious, Jak removed his clothes and set to work, surprised at how good it felt. From then on, his fantasies of her became exceptionally more intimate.

Oh, and he'd had lots of fantasies. There was that one where they sat together on the beach, and things started to heat up; she dug her nails into the flesh of his back and wrapped her legs around his waist as he lay between them. And that where she sneaked into his room at night and fondled him while he slept. It was one of his favorites.

A loud screeching sound snapped him out of his reverie. Jak gritted his teeth at the pitch of Daxter's scream in his ear, and he was barely able to avoid crashing into a Krimson Guard cruiser. "Shit" Jak ground out as he swerved out of the way. He just managed to jump out before the zoomer crashed into the wall.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Jak? You almost got us killed!" shouted Daxter. Jak was busy dusting himself off when he noticed where he'd landed: right in a pile of yakow crap. Perfect. Jak paid no attention as Daxter ranted on. He was more concerned with his current situation.

"Well, this is just great. Dammit, this is my only one! Gah, I'll never get this smell off!" Jak said.

". . . and that's why I should drive! Jak? Jak, are you even listening to me?" Daxter was about to climb up to Jak's shoulder, when the smell hit him like the fist of a mongrel lurker. "Whoooo! Jak! What did ya step in? You smell like you took a bath in a septic tank!"

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious" Jak growled. Well, this certainly was turning out to be some day. First, Jak woke up in a seedy bar that smelled of piss and cheap beer. Second, he had to shake a horde of Krimson Guard when one of them recognized him. He found out he was out of cash. And lastly, he just landed in a steamy pile of shit. Yup, it's been one hell of a day so far. Man, did he feel like killing something.

But since there's no point in whining about it, the only thing to do now was . . . "C'mon, Dax, I'll drop you off at Krew's."

"What? You're gonna leave me at puffer fish's place? Again?"

"Tess will be there," Jak said with a smirk, "and I'm sure she'll be happy to see her fuzzy, wuzzy, little weasel."

"Hey! I'm an ottsel! Get it straight, Brother!"

"Ok, whatever. Do you wanna go or not?" Daxter seemed to seriously consider it, but Jak knew the answer. He counted off on his fingers, "Three, two, one . . ."

"Alright! I'll do it! Watch out, Sugar, Daddy's got a sweet tooth tonight!" Jak rolled his eyes.

"Let's go then. The sooner I drop you off, the sooner I can get to Haven Forest and wash off this shit smell." Jak said as he pulled the jetboard off his back. Daxter grimaced at the prospect of being so near Jak when he smelled so terrible, but he'd endure it to see his curvy, voluptuous little spy.

As soon as Jak left the Hip Hog Heaven bar, he stole a zoomer and drove through the low zone, not caring if he hit someone. He was almost surprised. He'd mowed down everyone that wasn't fast enough to jump out of his way, but the KG did nothing. Oh well, Jak didn't give a rat's ass about this city or its people. Right now, all he cared about was getting cleaned up as soon as possible.

Jak went straight to the waterfall when he arrived at the forest. The running water would serve better to remove the feces more quickly and efficiently than the calm lake. As he stood under the rush of cold water, Jak's mind began to wander. Again, he began to think of how it would feel to kill Praxis and Erol. How satisfying it would be to rip Praxis' head off his corpse and crush it in his hand. As for Erol, he would be castrated. Jak smiled maliciously. Erol will definitely pay for what he did to him. Thinking of that bastard made Jak angry. Not only did that lunatic participate in his torture, he actually dared to get close to Keira.

Jak's thoughts immediately switched to the young woman. Though angry at first, his thoughts melted into something more pleasant. Memories that he held dear; near first kisses, pranks played on her father, times spent together with Daxter at Sentinel Beach chasing the gulls. And then it started again. Jak was having another fantasy. . . . –

Jak was pulled back to reality when he realized that he'd collapsed and scraped his knees on the many rocks covering the bed of the stream. Apparently, his feet had gone numb from being in the cold water without any movement and could no longer hold his weight. Blood was soaking through his pants. Muttering a few colorful words to no one in particular, Jak got up and made his way to the small lake at the center of the forest. He would have a nice long swim.

* * *

As Keira walked into the Hip Hog, she was relieved to see that Krew had stepped out, and wondered for the up-teenth time how that dirigible managed to leave. Surely he couldn't go out through the door. The fat man boggled her at times. 

Anyhow, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. She had a purpose in coming here. She needed to have a talk with Jak. A quick glance told her that he wasn't there, just a group of hoodwinks and the bar's few patrons. When her eyes fell on Tess, Keira had to stifle a laugh. There Daxter was, completely hammered, laying on the bar and singing incoherently. Keira made her way over to them, still suppressing her laughter. "Hey, guys." Keira greeted.

"Hello, Keira. What brings you to this part of town?" Keira, busy eyeing a seemingly passed out Daxter, didn't quite hear what was said to her.

"O-oh. What? Why did I come?"

"Yes." Tess said slowly.

"I came to see Jak. I wanted to— aaah!" Keira was startled when Daxter sat bolt upright and let out a loud belch. His breath reeked of alcohol.

"Hey there, hhot mama, why you wan' hhhang out wid ol' crabby when you can be wid Orange Lightining righdd hhhere?" Daxter slurred, running his paws up the sides of his body for emphasis. Keira quickly recovered from her stupor.

"Daxter, uh, can you tell me where Jak is?" Keira's eyes followed Daxter's stumbling movement across the bar table. He wasn't listening. He was off in some world created by his booze-impaired mind. Tess rolled her eyes and turned to Keira.

"Daxter told me earlier that Jak was going to Haven Forest." Keira smiled and thanked her for the information before she left. "Oops! I forgot to mention that Jak was there to bathe."

**Thump**

**CRASH**

"I'm ok."

Keira slowly made her way down the rocks at the entrance of the forest, careful no to slip on some loose pebbles. Though she knew he was strong, Keira always wondered how Jak jumped around the way he did, with an agility that she could never poses. Jak . . . what happened to him that changed him so? He's so angry. Daxter said that he was exposed to dark eco, but could there have been something else more cruel and twisted done to him other than that?

She had to know. She had to apologize for what she said to him – she saw the hurt in his eyes through that angry façade. She was sorry that she did that to him.

Soon, she was at the lake, but there were no visible signs of Jak. She called out his name, but there was no answer. She called him out again, louder this time. There was still no answer from him. Keira looked around again. As she neared the closest island, she caught a glimpse of something metallic. She moved closer to it, carefully walking across the narrow log that bridged over the water. When she got there, she found that it was Jak's shoulder armor, the rest of his clothes were spread out on the grass to dry. The jetboard leaned against the roots of a tree.

But if his clothes were right here, it meant that . . . –

**SPLASH**

Keira quickly turned her eyes to the source of the sound. "Oh . . ." Keira's face reddened at the site before her. Jak was naked, water dripping down his body and the tips of his hair. Her mind was screaming at her to look away, but she couldn't get her neck and body to obey her commands. She watched, transfixed, as he threw his head back, mesmerized with the movement with the movement of his hair. He brought his hands up and through that hair to wring out the remaining water. Every move he made seemed to slow down.

Keira snapped out of her trance and took in a deep breath. She shouldn't have been watching him like that. She had to leave. She would come back as soon as she was sure that he was fully clothed. But when she turned to leave, a twig snapped under her foot. She froze. Oh no. if Jak heard that . . .

Slowly, she moved her gaze back up to Jak. Sure enough, Jak had heard her. Their eyes locked for a second before his eyes widened and his cheeks burned a bright red.

They both turned sharply at once. "Aaaahh! Keira! What the hell are you doing?" Jak was attempting to cover himself with his hands as he yelled at her. What did she think she was doing spying on him?

Keira's heart was racing, her breath coming in short pants. Why didn't she turn around before? She couldn't think straight. God, he must think she was some kind of pervert. She heard Jak's footsteps as he approached her. He stopped a few feet away from her, and then . . .

"I don't know what you're doing here right now, but just don't turn around." He sounded annoyed and angry. She heard the rustle of cloth and metal clinking, and she knew that he was putting his clothes on.

Once Jak's bottom half was covered, he prodded her to turn back around. Keira avoided looking him in the eyes, too embarrassed at being caught peeking to make that contact. Jak sighed. He would be civil with her this time. "Keira, look at me," he continued when she did, "why are you here? And why were you watching me?" Keira visibly tensed. "Are you here to berate me some more? Gonna tell me how much of a bad person I've become?" Jak growled.

Keira's eyes narrowed, and her turned a darker shade of red. So much for civility between the two. "I came here to apologize for the other day! But you're being such a jerk that I change my mind!"

"Good! I don't need and apology from you! I don't need anything form you! So just go back to your boyfriend!"

"Maybe I will! Erol is more of a man than you'll ever be, you mon—"She stopped before she finished. But she'd already gone too far. She looked into Jak's face, and she saw nothing. It was expressionless, no emotion in his eyes. Jak lowered his head and turned his back to her. He waited two years for this? Keira took a step forward. "Jak, I . . ."

"Just leave," he whispered. Keira took another step forward.

"But I—"

"I said leave!" he screamed as he turned to face her. Angry tears rolled down his cheeks. His chest heaving. Keira flinched at the boom of his voice, but took more steps towards him. "Get away from me!"

Keira stopped when she heard Jak's voice twist oddly. She watched in horror as he grabbed hi head and purple streaks of lighting shot from his body. His skin and hair turned a ghastly white, and his voice became a low, vicious growl. He was transforming in front of her!

Suddenly, Jak's head snapped up at her. He growled, baring his pointed fangs, and started to advance on her. She couldn't move. She was terrified. Those claws. He was going to tear her apart!

Jak came to within inches of her face, his hot breath on her skin. When he raised his claws to strike, she threw her arms in front of herself as a weak shield. When the blow didn't come, she opened her eyes to find out why she was still alive. She was met by Jak's cold, black stare, and she could see that his hand stopped mere millimeters from contact with her body. Jak backed away from her slowly, looking between on clawed hand to the other. His body began convulsing, and that horrible and twisted scream wrenched from his mouth.

She watched as the color returned to his skin and hair. He was slowly changing back. And there he was, doubled over and panting, sweat dripping from his chin and arms with the effort.

Despite her fear, Keira took a step forward. "Stop!" he said as he threw out a hand. He stood up and turned his head to the side, away from her. It was then that Keira took notice of the scars. Dozens of needle scars, burn marks, and a vicious scar going from his left pectoral muscle down to his navel. Her heart was crushed at the sight, eyes welling up with tears. "Jak, you're . . ."

"You know, Keira, you were right. I'm no longer the boy you knew. He died in that prison two years ago." he said quietly. Jak bent down to retrieve his tunic and put his arms in the sleeves. He continued to dress in front of her, stopping to make sure everything was in place, every strap tightened just right. Once finished, he looked into her tear-streaked face and gave her a sad smile. "You have no idea how much I missed you in there."

"Jak, what . . ."

"They tortured me, Keira. It wasn't just the experiments," the smile faded from his face, his tone serious, "I was their kanga rat from the day they dragged me in, to the day I escaped with Daxter. He – Erol . . . !" Jak choked on a sob and clamped his eyes shut, his hands balling into fists.

"Jak, what did he do?" Keira trembled out. She reached for his hand. Jak pulled it away.

"He raped me!" he yelled out, "After the first month he started coming into my cell. He did it once a week. He always brought guards to hold me down while he – while he," Jak was sobbing, tears pouring from his eyes, "while he fucked me! Once a week for two fucking years! He would let me heal for a week before he'd come to fuck me again!" Jak collapsed, sobbing and wretching into the ground.

Keira's heart felt like it stopped beating. She couldn't breathe. She watched Jak cry with his face in the grass. How could anyone do such a wicked, evil thing? How could she have misjudged Jak like that? And Erol . . . she'd had no idea.

She knelt down beside Jak and put her arms around him. Though she knew that no matter what she did or said to comfort him, this broken man's emotional and psychological scars would never fade. Jak nearly knocked her over when he threw his arms around her waist and sobbed into her shoulder. Recovering from her slight surprise, Keira began stroking his hair and back to calm his weeping while she whispered words of apology into his ear. There they stayed for a while.

Jak eventually calmed down, and he tore himself from her embrace to stand. He just stood, unmoving and making no sound. After a few moments of silence, he turned to look down at her, his mouth set in a grim line. "I'm gonna keep fighting until I get my revenge. I don't care what you feel for Erol. He will die for what he did to me. Both of them will." Jak moved to pick up his jetboard. He turned back to her as she stood. "Oh, and don't tell anyone what happened here, especially Daxter and your father." With that said, he jumped on the board and left. Keira stayed behind, collecting her thoughts, until she too left. As she made her way back to her garage, she hoped that Jak could find it in his heart to forgive her for all the pain she caused today. She just wanted him to be happy again, if that was at all possible. She was determined to make that happen.

**The End**

Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed it. It damn well took me long enough to write it. Also, if you're wondering how Keira knew to look by the lake, she didn't. It was worded that way to imply that she'd gone that far into the forest looking for him. And for those wondering, this story is strictly a one-shot. I will not write anymore chapters for it. So for those who want to know what happens next, I'm afraid that you just have to use your imaginations and come up with the rest. I'm too busy with other projects – both personal and academic – to put that much effort into my stories here. Just know that I'll post when I post, simple as that. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome as always.

Oh, and one more thing. As for Jak's fantasy, well, I'll also leave that to the imagination of the audience. I've never had sex, therefore, I won't write it in my stories.


End file.
